PETALING JAYA: The Universiti Malaya’s evolution has closely mirrored Malaysia’s own journey, from before independence to the political and social upheavals that followed, says Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
The Perak Ruler said a newly launched book on the university’s history not only chronicles its growth into a national institution, but also examines some of the difficult choices and challenges it faced along the way.
Sultan Nazrin, who is UM Chancellor, said “A Living History: Personal Reflections on the University of Malaya” provides a deeply personal account of the institution’s evolution through the perspectives of those who helped shape it.
“In telling the story of the university, the book also chronicles key developments in the broader history of Malaysia, documenting how the institution and our nation both negotiated those formative decades,” he said when launching the book’s launch in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Sept 24).
“From its very inception in the years between the war and independence, UM has carried a great responsibility as our country’s first and – still to this day – leading higher education establishment.”
Sultan Nazrin said the book traces UM’s journey from its earliest days through numerous challenges and successes, drawing on contributions from both prominent figures and lesser-known individuals.
“We hear from voices renowned and familiar, as well as from others far less known, whose insights and memories combine to create an informative and engaging account,” he said.
He said the book also showed how Malaysian academics had long been able to hold their own internationally, with collaborations and research that were already highly advanced and globally relevant by the 1970s.
“That our young country was already achieving so much in these competitive and advanced arenas is indeed a remarkable accomplishment of which we can be extremely proud,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin said the book did not shy away from more difficult chapters in UM’s history, including the impact of the New Economic Policy on its student population and language of instruction, as well as restrictions on political expression.
“The flourishing of intellectual and political discourse on campus during the earliest period of the university is evoked with particular nostalgia,” he said.
“This vibrant and productive atmosphere, recalled so vividly here, was subsequently eroded by the difficult choices that followed the crisis of May 1969.”
He said contributors to the book, including some who were political activists at the time, openly discussed the dilemmas faced by the university and acknowledged that mistakes may have been made.
“But they all acknowledge the leadership, courage, cooperation and professionalism that enabled the institution to ride out these storms,” he added.
